The One I Use For Everything

When I was growing up, my mother kept a glass jar in the fridge. Inside it was a marinade. The same one, every week, made fresh on a Sunday and used until it ran out by Friday.

This was her shortcut. She did not have time to season meat from scratch every night. She had six children and a husband who came home hungry. She had a small kitchen and one good pan.

So she made one marinade that worked on everything. Chicken got it. Fish got it. Prawns got it. The vegetables we grilled on the side got it.

Let me give it to you. It takes five minutes. You will use it for years.

Recipe at a glance

• Cuisine: French Caribbean (Guadeloupe)
• Prep: 5 minutes • Marinating time: 30 minutes to 12 hours
• Makes: Enough for 1 kg of meat, fish, or vegetables (about 200 ml)
• Featured sauce: Full Feast Caribbean Hot Sauce
• Heat level: Adjustable
• Diet: Gluten free, vegan

Ingredients 

• 4 tbsp Full Feast Caribbean Hot Sauce
• 4 tbsp olive oil (or any neutral oil)
• Juice of 2 limes (about 4 tbsp)
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme

That is it. Six things. You probably have five of them already.

Preparation

1. Put everything in a bowl. A glass jar with a lid works even better. You can shake it to mix instead of stirring.

2. Whisk or shake. Until the oil and the lime juice come together and the mixture is one colour.

3. Taste it. It should be bright, salty, slightly hot. If you want more heat, add another tablespoon of hot sauce. If you want more salt, add a pinch.

4. Use it. Put your meat or fish in a dish, pour the marinade over, turn to coat. That is it.

For chicken: marinate for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.

For fish or prawns: 30 minutes is enough. Do not go past 2 hours or the lime will start to cook the fish.

For vegetables: 15 minutes before grilling.

Why this marinade works

The six parts each do something different.

The hot sauce brings flavour. Garlic, chilli, the depth of a proper Caribbean pepper sauce. It is the foundation. Without Caribbean Hot Sauce, the marinade is just oil and lime. With it, every piece of food carries the taste of my island.

The oil carries the flavour into the food. Without oil, the marinade sits on the surface. With oil, it sinks in.

The lime tenderises and brightens. The acid breaks down the surface of the meat slightly. It also balances the heat from the sauce, so nothing tastes too aggressive.

The garlic and thyme make the whole thing smell like a Caribbean kitchen. That smell is half of the cooking.

Tips from my kitchen

Make a double batch. It keeps in the fridge for a week. Sunday afternoon making one batch sets up four dinners. That is what my mother knew.

Use it as a dipping sauce too. Take 2 tbsp out before you marinate the meat. Add a spoon of mayonnaise or yoghurt. Now you have a dip for the same meal.

Adjust the heat. Two tbsp of hot sauce for mild. Four for medium. Six for strong. The sauce is the dial. Everything else stays the same.

Do not skip the salt. Marinades need salt to season the meat properly. One teaspoon is the minimum.

Score the chicken. If you are marinating bone-in chicken, make 2 or 3 shallow cuts in each piece with a knife. The marinade gets in faster.

What to use it on

Chicken thighs, drumsticks, wings. Best for grilling, pan-frying, or oven roasting at 200°C.

Salmon, sea bass, cod, mackerel. Pan-fry skin-side down for crispy skin, then flip.

King prawns. Toss in the marinade, thread on skewers, grill 2 minutes per side.

Tofu and vegetables. Courgette, peppers, aubergine, halloumi. Marinate 15 minutes, grill or roast at 220°C.

If you want a bigger heat hit on the BBQ, swap the Caribbean Hot Sauce for Flaming BBQ Sauce. That makes it a different beast. Smokier. Hotter. Built for the grill.

FAQ

How long does the marinade keep?

In a sealed jar in the fridge, up to 7 days. Shake before using. The oil and lime separate as they sit.

Can I freeze meat in the marinade?

Yes. Marinade-and-freeze is a clever trick. Put chicken pieces in a freezer bag with the marinade, freeze flat. As it thaws, it marinates. Cook within 3 days of thawing.

Is this marinade gluten free and vegan?

The marinade itself is both. All Full Feast sauces are gluten free and vegan. The dish you cook with it depends on what you put it on, of course.

Can I use it as a salad dressing?

Not exactly. It is too oily and too acidic for a salad dressing as it is. But thin it out with another tbsp of oil and a pinch of sugar, and it works on a tomato or grilled vegetable salad.

Does it work on red meat?

Beef and lamb are fine for short marinades, 1 to 2 hours. The lime can toughen them if you go longer. Pork takes the marinade well, especially shoulder cuts for slow cooking.

Final word from me

This is the recipe my mother passed down without writing it down. I had to watch her three times before I understood the proportions.

I am writing it down for you so you do not have to wait three times. Make it tonight. Use it on whatever is in your fridge. You will see what I mean.

JP